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Credit Unions for Short Term Loans Better Then PayDay Loans Advice

Check Bounce Protection – Is It An Artificial Sanctuary

Check Bounce Protection – Is It An Artificial Sanctuary

By Rene Tse
What is a check bounce protection®:

Another term for check bounce protection is courtesy overdraft. The idea is that under this protection, if you have insufficient funds in your bank account to cover a check, this check bounce security would prevent any of your checks from bouncing. A check bounce protection® plan is a short term extremely high interest loan or credit giving to you by your bank. Often times, the bank will add on this check bounce protection® without your authorization and you get a shocking bill at the end of the month and view your monthly statement this enormous fee you had to pay for the so called check bounce protection® service.

The purpose of this article is enlighten you on :

Which banks or bank truly have a bonafide check bounce protection® without you having to pay almost 800% in APR.

What is the difference between overdraft protection and check bounce protection®:

An overdraft protection plan will protect you when you having: INTERAC direct payment purchases, cheques, withdrawals and pre-authorized payments bounce due to insufficient funds in your account. Typically, most banks will charge the Prime interest rate PLUS (5% per annum) for the length of time until you have added the sufficient funds back in to your savings or checking account. Most banks will cover your bounced checks from $300 to $5000. The only bank that truly has a bonafid check bounce protection® is home national bank. I would recommend that you go to their website at: www.homenational.com.

Or if you wish, you can call them toll free at 877.811.4663. This check bounce protection® service is only for Home National Bank checking customers. At Home National Bank, as long as you have an established eminence at the home national bank, you qualify for the check protecting special overdraft privilege. The truth of the situation is the many banks in the states advertise that the have a check bounce protection, however, if you look a lot closer, the APR that you will be paying for the bounce protection loan is somewhere in the range of 608.33 to 791% according to Mr. Howard Mason. Unfortunately, many banks will not tell you what the APR is on the check bounce protection plan. You see, with overdraft protection, your bounced checks can be sheltered by your credit cards if you have any or by your savings account. Below is a table I found at consumer reports showing that your check bounce protection® APR can exceed 700% APR!

Methods of protecting your overdraft What's the Cost Total Cost APR (%)

Bounce protection loans

$20 to $35 + $3 daily fee $50.00 to 65.00 608.33% to 791%
Bounced check fees $40 to 60 ( $20 to $30 bank fee + $20 to $30 merchant fee) $40 to 60. 486.67% to 730%
Conventional overdraft w/ line of credit $15 annual fee + 12%APR

$15.99

194.5%
Conventional overdraft w/ linkage to savings account $5.00 transfer fee 5.00 60.83%
Conventional overdraft w/ linkage to credit card $3 cash advance fee plus 18% APR 4.48 54.5%
Source: Sanford Bernstein & Co., Financial Services Anaylst Howard Mason

Monitor Your Bank Account Balance:

Mr. Jon Eberle, the chief financial officer at HMN Financial, the father company of Home Federal Savings Bank says, "It's a convenience. There's a price for convenience. We don't encourage you to bounce checks." That is obvious, no one including myself, make a habit of bouncing checks. Like all of us, there are many situations that occur

  • Unexpected Medical Bill, you have to see your acupuncture practitioner or doctor at your local clinic for an emergency treatment. You don't have health insurance.
  • Unexpected car repair bill, the auto warranty has worn out and you are stuck with a car you can't drive to work because you need a new carburetor
  • You got laid off or fired unexpectedly. But you still have to eat between now and the next pay day after you find your new job
  • You are a single mom, and can never catch up with your bills and you have to buy food, feed your kids and there is no food at the food bank today
  • There was a storm and the hail stones have destroyed your roof and you don't have any insurance to cover it and now you have a permanent whole on your ceiling.

Depending on what type of checking account you have as a Home National Bank customer, below is a table of how much the check bounce protection® plan will cover.

  • Completely Free Checking: $ 300
  • Economy Interest Checking: $ 300
  • Low Minimum Interest Checking: $ 500
  • Unlimited Interest Checking: $ 500
  • VIP Free Interest Checking: $ 500
  • 50+ Free Interest Checking: $ 500
  • Super Checking: $1,500

We do recommend that even if you become a Home National Bank customer to pay off the overdraft amount as soon as possible. Therefore, you maintain a good standing with the bank. For example, if you have a low minimum interest checking account, and lets say your rent is only $450.00 as you live in Mesa, AZ in a bachelor apartment, and you don't have money to cover the rent at the end of the month, in this case the overdraft limit for your type of account is $500, and your rent check therefore will not bounce.

IF you happen to live in a state that you can not bank at Home National Bank, a second alternative is to go to your local credit union to open up an account, it would still be cheaper than using the so called check bounce protection® at your bank.

Plan of Action:What can you do so you don't have to absorb check protection fees?

  1. Decide to Say No
    Go and speak with you bank manager and tell him to call off or cancel their check bounce protection® program. IF you can't not physically go to your bank, fax or write a letter with you bank account information and sign it at the bottom. By going to get it done at the bank, you save yourself the trouble of having to follow up with them afterwards
  2. Consider signing up for their overdraft protection program
    Now depending on the length of time you have banked with your bank, and what your FICO or BEACON credit rating is, as well as what your credit worthiness is, the bank will either approve or not approve an overdraft protection plan. The first step is to apply for a free credit report. Raise your credit score if it is below 700, rebuild credit by working with a credit repair specialist; Lexington Law Firm.
  3. Monitor your bank statements.
    See if you can budget your expenses to be lower than you monthly income. Try as best as you can to discipline yourself to stay within your means

I bank at a credit union, and since I have had a good standing with them for the last 6 years, one time, I had insufficient funds in my account, and automatically there was funds to cover it, so I avoided having a NSF check, they only charged me $5 for this service. See, if you can find a credit union close by, if you local bank won't assist you in this way.

Recommended Reading :

  • Healing Money Issues - Prosperity Work Book by Ron Knight
  • Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
  • The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer
Source: www.ConsumerReports.org May 2005, www.homenational.com
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